Forum for costumers...

7 replies
Okay, I haven't been here very long so please don't unload on me... just give a quick kick if necessary...

I run a dog ecommerce store. I have sent my people out to forums and messageboards about our niche to get in the trenches and promote our product.

It seems everybody is running a blog attached to their stores these days and I commend them for it. We are just branching out on twitter and would love to add more to our social media.

So, we want to start a forum. I know - HUGE undertaking, but we think in the long run it would be well worth it.

The forum would simply be for dog lovers. We thought about starting a forum and then pretending to just be another advertiser, but we decided against that idea. We want it to be known from the beginning that we run the forum. Again, it would be open to all dog lovers - but our name would be all over it. Topics would include all the normal stuff you see in other dog forums with the addition of store related items.

We are thinking long term, that this could be a great way to really brand ourselves.

You may start the stone throwing now
#costumers #forum
  • Profile picture of the author Teresa Coppes
    I like the idea of the blog, twitter and then throw a facebook fan page up as well. The biggest issue with forums is actually getting people to become members, post and stay members. By using the three methods I mentioned you can reach a wide variety of people and keep everyone in the loop of special product promotions/news. If you want contributions from others, why not ask for guest posters on your blog or a special section for people to send you their fav pic pets (or something similar).

    Whichever direction you decide - good luck!

    Teresa
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  • Profile picture of the author Pat Blank
    Do you mean "customers" ? I do costumes for theater, competitions, holidays etc and I'd be interested in a forum for costumers - but I don't think that's what you mean.

    Best of luck - forums can be great for getting loyal fans.
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  • Profile picture of the author thedogtreatjar
    LOL, thanks Pat That's a typo I am infamous for. For real, I mess that word up almost 2 out of three times I post something... even on my site. I should put a post it by the computer to tell me to check that word again
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  • Profile picture of the author samstephens
    Forums are a great way to get a LOT of new content on your website - search engines love them. Over time you can end up getting a lot of organic search engine hits simply from forum posts.

    It IS a lot of extra work, but it can really help.

    When it grows, you may also find specific people who seem to hang out in the forum a lot, and treat everyone nicely, and are just plain helpful. Often these people will agree to be a moderator if you offer it to them.

    Best of luck with it!

    cheers
    Sam
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    • Profile picture of the author thedogtreatjar
      Thanks sam

      With my niche, thankfully - people are committed! I imagine a lot of people that would hang around the forum might not be my costumer base, (i.e. spend that much money on their dogs...) but, I hadn't thought that those people would be useful in other ways like as moderators, thanks for the insight!
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  • Profile picture of the author HomeComputerGames
    I agree with Sam.
    Plus, you have nothing to lose by putting up a forum and as mentioned it is great for adding content besides being useful for your guests. In such a niche an expert that can answer questions is a major asset and can attract a lot of attention. ("Ask the Dog Doctor" or whatever)

    One suggestion, at first try not to add too many categories. It can get a bit messy with tons of categories. Also, with fewer categories you have less to fill up. That means less categories with 0 posts. 0 or only a few posts in a category can make a forum appear dead.
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    yes, I am....

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  • Profile picture of the author KristiDaniels
    Dog lovers who wear costumes?

    Is there enough demand to support a forum for that?

    Ya learn something new every day.
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